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Crime Prevention Information

Campus safety is a concern to all of us. At Providence College we are continually developing new programs and resources, which focus on creating a safe and secure campus environment. Some of the services available to you through the Office of Public Safety include:

Emergency telephones are provided throughout the campus. Emergency blue light phones and security cameras are also located strategically across campus. All equipment is monitored 24 hours a day by security.

When deemed necessary, Warning Crime Alerts are issued through the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. Students are officially notified via e-mail and/or voice mail.

“Street Smarts” workshops for all residents.

Students can register expensive property with serial numbers such as computers, bikes, and cameras with the Office of Public Safety. This information will be maintained in a database that can be entered into the National Crime Information Center if the item is stolen.

The On-Campus Student Safety Escort Service is in place during the evening from 6:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. The students are on foot and wear blue or orange security vests. In order to assist and report any incidents, all student escort supervisors have radio contact with the security office. Student escorts will be available in the library, Harkins Hall, and Slavin Center. Students can call x2391 for assistance.

The Shuttle Service is available to provide transportation between campus and the surrounding PC neighborhood. The service, which is operated by Transportation Services, operates 7 days a week when classes are scheduled.

Through the security liaison program with the Office of Residence Life, patrol officers are assigned to each residence hall. The officers meet regularly with residence staff and provide input on programs and services concerning student safety.

Vehicle, foot and bike patrols are provided throughout the campus.

Crime Prevention Tips

As a member of the Providence College community, you can play an important role to help keep our campus safe.

Remember …

Do not prop doors open

Walk in lighted areas at night

Use the escort and shuttle services

Report crimes and call security with concerns

Pay attention to campus Crime Alerts

Always lock car doors

Do not leave valuable items in your car in view

Remember to report any suspicious person immediately to the Office of Public Safety: 865.2391. In case of emergency, call 865.2222.

4 Tips For Avoiding ID Theft:

Set unique passwords for each account — and don’t give it to your boyfriend or girlfriend. That means not reusing the same password for multiple accounts. All it takes is one of those accounts to be compromised, and the attacker can reach the others as well. Create a minimum eight-character password with a mix of symbols, upper- and lowercase letters — and no dictionary words within it. “Pick a secure password, and don’t tell it to anyone else,” says Paul Kenyon, co-founder and COO of Avecto, a Windows privilege management provider. Aaron Massey, a postdoctoral fellow in the School Of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech, says that’s his No. 1 tip. “Passwords are the No. 1 thing to talk to students coming in. They haven’t established a strong routine for” creating strong and unique passwords, he says.

Run antivirus software, and keep it updated. Antivirus can’t catch everything, but it will catch the known and more likely attacks college students will face, experts say. “AV is seen as a tax you have to pay to use computers, but I think it’s a necessary one,” Kenyon says. “And keep it up-to-date.” Oh — and if it doesn’t automatically scan on a very regular basis, execute the scan yourself.

Don’t visit sketchy or unknown websites. If a website isn’t recommended by a trusted source, don’t go there — and definitely don’t download anything from there, Avecto’s Kenyon says. “Students have a tendency to go to websites with unlicensed and uncopyrighted music, where they download quite readily,” for example, and that is risky, he says.

Don’t click on links or attachments in emails. If you get an email that appears to be from your bank, don’t click on any links in it or download any attachments. “If you’re asked to go to a website, I go there [directly] instead,” says Kris Zentek, product manager for Avecto. Keep an eye on your financial statements. Opt for electronic bank and credit-card statements instead of paper ones, says Steve Coggeshall, chief technology officer at ID Analytics, and watch for any anomalies in those statements. Any piece of paper with financial account numbers, dates of birth, or Social Security numbers should be shredded. “Don’t just throw it away in the trash. Take it to places where [you can have it shredded],” Coggeshall says.